Features: Preview Subtype, Page 3

After seeing its impressive debut at the Nintendo press conference, I was very optimistic to check out the new Super Mario game for the Nintendo 3DS. I was given the option to play one of four levels. I chose the level that featured an old favorite from Super Mario Bros. 3, which especially caught my eye during the presser: the Tanooki suit. The demo starts with the Tanooki suit in your inventory. The first thing I immediately noticed about the...

Star Fox 64 3D is based on the 1997 N64 title Star Fox 64. I was able to play one level through a volcanic planet with flaming enemies and fireballs emerging from a a molten sea below. Everything that made the original title so fun was present. The smooth controls translated perfectly to the 3DS with the shoulder triggers controlling barrel rolls and the analog nub controlling the Arwing. I haven't played the game in a few years, but within...

Mario Kart on the 3DS plays just about as you'd expect for a Mario Kart title. You pick one of eight characters and select your kart. New to the game is the tire selection, allowing you to outfit your racer with lighter or heavier wheels to give you more options in a race. Players also get to use a hang glider in this version. The hang glider allows you to float down from ledges and other drop-offs, giving more distance than before when...

BioWare is no stranger to making great RPGs, with an impressive catalog of games including the unmissable Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire and Mass Effect – to name a handful. Few developers can boast an incredible ability to craft stories that capture the hearts of their audience and build the game play to support them, but BioWare is definitely one of them. So when one of the biggest RPG developers announced its plans...

Overall, the tradition of naming consoles is fairly straightforward. There are a few exceptions; i.e., Nintendo post-SNES – how do you go from Gamecube to Wii? It follows no set pattern. So when Sony announced the next generation of PSP, one automatically thought, “Ah! It must be the PSP2.” But, no, Sony defied all logic and went for "Next Generation Portable” instead. Catchy, right? It's as if Sony's saying to Nintendo, ...

The Dragon Age 2 demo is very impressive, but that isn’t really a surprise. Bioware, in recent years, has really managed to step it up. The storytelling has always been superb, but the game design usually managed to wobble on that razor thin line between good and merely acceptable. This, of course, doesn’t apply to all Bioware's titles. The Baldur’s Gate series was impeccable in every respect,...

The current showcase of games with the upcoming Xbox 360 Kinect are less than appealing. Mainly, the games aren't really considered the typical standard of what one would play for hours at a time, or "hardcore" as many put it. While the Kinect seems to be viable in translating many different movements you perform to in-game actions, one thing I have noticed it lacks in nearly all its games is moving your character's feet. The ability to actually...

I love my mouse. No, seriously, I really do. I give it birthday presents on the day that I bought it. When the computer turns off, I unplug it and put it inside a locked safe behind three separate security doors you have to pass through after a retinal scan... after a urine test. OK, if you couldn't tell by now, when it comes to FPS games, I have to say hands down to the mouse. It's precise, accurate and little to no compensation errors when...

One of the most highly anticipated sequels of all time is upon us with the release of "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" next month. A lucky few, however, were given a sneak peak of what to expect when they were chosen to give the game a go in beta testing. I was fortunate enough to wake up about a month ago to an e-mail from Blizzard inviting me to participate. I'm proud to say that the wait, SC fans, will likely be worth it. If you were worried...